Taking Stock of Chicago Bears Ahead of Week 7 Bye

After an 0-3 start to the 2015 season, the Chicago Bears won two games in a row against the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs before falling to a previously winless Detroit Lions team in Week 6.

The Bears currently sit with a 2-4 record, but head coach John Fox likes the direction his team is heading. Fox said, per ESPN.com's Jeff Dickerson:

"

It's getting guys that are willing to put in the time and the effort and to do the right thing at the right time. I've been pleased with the way our guys have gone about it. I think we've been in most of the contests to this point and now it's just figuring out how to win consistently, and we're not there yet by any stretch but I think we're moving in the right direction.

"

The Bears have done a better job this season of fighting back in games in comparison to the last two years under former head coach Marc Trestman, but Chicago still has a ways to go before it can be considered one of the league's best teams.

Where do the Bears stand as they head into their bye in Week 7?

Jay Cutler Looks Like a Different QB in OC Adam Gase's Offense

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When healthy, QB Jay Cutler has looked terrific in Chicago's new offense.

Jay Cutler has had his fair share of offensive coordinators since joining the Bears back in 2009, but the veteran signal-caller has looked like a different quarterback at times this season under coordinator Adam Gase.

Cutler missed the second half of Chicago's Week 2 loss to the Arizona Cardinals and did not play against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 3 because of a hamstring injury, but the former Vanderbilt Commodore has completed over 60 percent of his passing attempts for 1,231 yards with seven touchdowns and four interceptions.

Even though he has turned the ball over five times this season—four interceptions and one lost fumble—Cutler has looked comfortable in Chicago's new offensive system. His offensive line and wide receiving corps have struggled with injuries, but he has been able to find a way to make it work this season.

Starting left tackle Jermon Bushrod has not been on the field since Week 3 against the Seahawks due to a concussion, while center Will Montgomery was lost for the season in Week 4 against the Raiders because of a broken fibula. Even with a patchwork offensive line, Cutler has been able to keep his composure in the pocket.

Cutler has done a great job of moving up in the pocket when needed, and he has not been afraid to tuck the football and run when his receivers cannot get open down the field. 

The veteran quarterback looks to be completely in control of Gase's offense when out on the field, and Gase has been impressed with Cutler this season.

“I didn’t know how competitive he was,” Gase said, per Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “That’s something that has really jumped out at me, how the toughness of coming back from this injury and playing as well as he has, that’s something that I love to see."

Cutler still struggles with his decision-making at times, but he has looked like a new quarterback in Gase's system through the first six weeks of the season.

Matt Forte Is Still One of the Best Running Backs in the Game

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Matt Forte currently leads the NFL in rushing with 507 yards.

In 2014, Matt Forte was more wide receiver than he was running back.

Forte did run the ball 266 times for 1,038 yards, but he caught an NFL-record 102 catches for 808 yards last season. The Bears abandoned the run at times last season, but the team has been committed to running the football under Fox in 2015.

In six games this season, Forte has carried the ball 126 times and he leads the NFL in rushing with 507 yards. He has also hauled in 21 passes for 191 yards with one receiving touchdown.

Forte has been to just two Pro Bowls in his career, but he has arguably been one of the league's most consistent running backs since joining the Bears in 2008.

Forte has the ability to pound the football between the tackles, he can bounce the football to the outside and he has some of the best hands in the business at the position.

Gase recently praised Forte for his all-around game.

"That consistency…his ability, whether it be in the run game, passing game, pass protection—it's rare to find a guy who can do everything," Gase said about Forte, per the Chicago Tribune's Rich Campbell.

After Chicago's overtime loss to the Lions in Week 6, Forte was not happy about the team heading into a bye in Week 7.

“It’s frustrating. I’m pissed off about it,” Forte said, per Dickerson. “I don’t want to go to the bye week. I want to focus on the next team.”

Forte turns 30 years old in December. If he continues to play well in the coming weeks, the Bears will have a difficult decision to make when he becomes a free agent in the offseason. Running backs rarely produce at a high level after turning 30, but Forte has shown no signs of slowing down this season.

Outside Linebacker Pernell McPhee Has Been Worth Every Penny

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The Bears signed Pernell McPhee to a five-year contract in March, and the young linebacker has been the team's best player on defense.

The Bears signed outside linebacker Pernell McPhee to a five-year, $38.75 million contract in March, and the former Baltimore Raven has lived up to lofty expectations through the first six weeks of the season.

McPhee has already recorded a career-high 30 tackles in 2015, and he currently leads the team with four sacks. According to Pro Football Focus, McPhee has played 303 snaps on defense this season and has recorded seven quarterback hits and 20 quarterback hurries. He is currently listed as the fourth-best 3-4 outside linebacker with a plus-22.5 overall grade.

The former Baltimore Raven has been one of the team's most consistent edge-rushers, but he has also had an impact against the run. In addition to making an impact with his play against the pass and the run, he has become a leader both in the locker room and on the field.

“He brings the fire. He brings the wood,” said outside linebacker Sam Acho about McPhee, per Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times. “And we feed off of it.”

McPhee was used as a situational pass-rusher while with the Ravens and spent most of his time playing behind guys like Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil, but he has had a chance to shine this season as an every-down player. 

After failing to record a sack in Chicago's first two games of the season, McPhee has recorded four sacks in the last four games. Even when he was unable to register a sack against the Raiders in Week 4, he was able to come away with his first career interception.

“I’m just a guy who comes to work, goes hard and guys just feed off of that,” McPhee said, per CBSChicago.com's Chris Emma. “They see it and just do the same thing.”

McPhee is quickly becoming one of the best 3-4 outside linebackers in the game because of his ability to get after the quarterback and slow down the run, and the decision to sign him to a long-term deal this offseason appears to be the best thing general manager Ryan Pace did in his first offseason with the Bears.

Special Teams Unit Needs to Improve

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Chicago's special teams has given up two kickoff returns for touchdowns this season.

The Bears had arguably one of the best special teams units in all of football during Dave Toub's run as special teams coordinator between 2004 and 2012, but the team has struggled in that area since 2013.

Joe DeCamillis ran Chicago's special teams between 2013 and 2014 under Trestman, but his unit struggled with penalties, and his kick returners struggled with decision-making when they had the football in their hands. DeCamillis was shown the door after the 2014 season, and the Bears hired Jeff Rodgers as special teams coordinator this offseason.

The unit has flashed its potential at times this year, but it has struggled with penalties and has given up a lot of yards on kickoff returns. According to NFLPenalties.com, the Bears have been flagged eight times on special teams for 78 yards. 

The Bears have kicked off 15 times this season, and they are giving up a league-worst 32.3 yards per kick return. Chicago gave up a 108-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to Cardinals rookie David Johnson on the opening kickoff of Week 2, and it gave up a 105-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to Seahawks rookie Tyler Lockett one week later.

After struggling the first few weeks of the season, the unit did play better in Week 6 against the Lions. Chris Prosinski and Joshua Bellamy both recovered muffed punts, and Chicago's coverage units limited Detroit to an average of 23 yards per kick return.

The Bears were caught off guard on a fake punt in the fourth quarter, and the Lions were able to gain 30 yards on a direct snap to safety Isa Abdul-Quddus.

“We knew it was going to come,” Bellamy said about the fake punt, per the Chicago Sun-Times' Mark Potash. “We practiced against it. We called it out. But they normally run it up the middle and that time they ran it outside. They caught us. But that wasn’t the reason we lost the game.”

While Chicago has struggled in a couple different areas on special teams, specialists Robbie Gould and Pat O'Donnell are putting together solid seasons. Gould has connected on all 15 field-goal attempts with a long of 54 yards, and O'Donnell is averaging 46.9 yards per punt this season.

Chicago has looked better at times this year under Rodgers than it did under DeCamillis, but the special teams unit needs to show improvement in the coming weeks if the Bears want to get to .500.

Vic Fangio's Defense Has Flashed Potential, but It Still Has a Ways to Go

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Chicago's defense has shown improvement under DC Vic Fangio.

The Bears had two of the franchise's worst defensive seasons under former defensive coordinator Mel Tucker between 2013 and 2014, but Chicago's defense has shown improvement under coordinator Vic Fangio this year.

Chicago gave up an average of 377.1 yards per game last season—third most in the NFL—and gave up the second-most points per game last year with 27.6. The Bears struggled to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks, and opposing offenses shredded their secondary in the passing game. 

The Bears moved to a 3-4 defense this offseason under Fangio for the first time in team history, and Fangio has been able to get a lot out of his players through the first six weeks of the year. The Bears are currently ninth in yards allowed per game with 344.8, but they are giving up a league-worst 29.8 points per game.

Chicago is allowing the fifth-fewest passing yards per game with 231.8, but it has given up a league-worst 15 passing touchdowns. The Bears have shown their potential at times this year on defense, and Fangio noted his unit needs to take small steps in order to succeed. 

“You have to play well and you have to have success,” Fangio said, per Dickerson. “Like the analogy I used a couple weeks ago, good things have got to happen to you. Tiger Woods, as great as he was, he's lost his confidence. Until you experience success as an individual and then as a unit, then the confidence can come.”

Chicago's defense was not going to be fixed overnight, and while it has struggled to keep opposing offenses out of the end zone, it has looked like a much better unit under Fangio than it ever did under Tucker.

Fangio's defense will continue to be a work in progress all season long, but the unit appears to be heading in the right direction with the veteran coordinator in charge.

Statistical information courtesy of NFL.com unless otherwise noted. Contract information courtesy of Spotrac.

Matt Eurich is a Chicago Bears featured columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.

Follow @MattEurich.